Staircase rail and newel post

I did this commission a while back. I had to build a newel post, rail and ballausters to match the existing ones on the second floor. This is an old house, so they also wanted it to look like it belonged. The last two pictures are the originals at the top of the stairs. Apparently there was a newel and rail long ago, but in a remodel they were removed. The bottom four stairs had no rail at all and their child was jumping from the top. I made the newel and ballausters from poplar and the cap and rail from pine to match the others. The tricky part was making new pine look like the aged color, but I think it came out to a perfect match (minus the scratches and dings). The most challenging part was fitting the rail because nothing in an old house is square.

I helped completely remodel a 3rd floor in an old house, so, I know what you mean by nothing being square in old houses. The room was not just off because of it’s age, and settling, it was off in some places by 6 inches in 10 feet (it was a night mare, let me tell you) Some places I had to patch plaster 3 inches deep to fill in a wall, it was that bad. It wouldn’t have been easier to tear it out becaue it was concrete walls, L&P. It looks great now.